#RachaelStrong

Original post from 8/25/21

I have debated whether to post this but my family needs all the prayers we can get. I’ve been having a lot of pain in my hip for about a month now, and I was originally told it was sciatica. It’s gotten much worse over the last few weeks and I kept saying I needed to have it checked out again. Then, I hit my head really hard on Sunday and my left arm and leg went completely numb, which really freaked me out. I went to work Monday and realized that I couldn’t type at all with my left hand and I kept dropping things, so I decided to get checked out for what I thought was a concussion after work. I almost didn’t go to the er because I was tired and knew it was going to be a long wait, but Emily pushed me to go, which I am forever thankful for. 

Fast forward to today- I found out that I have cancer in my brain, lymph nodes, and hip bone, and my hip is actually fractured from one of the tumors. I am about to have a biopsy and bone scan, and they may have to put a rod in my leg to stabilize it because the cancer is making my bones so brittle. I have 13 tumors in my brain, but the largest tumor is sitting directly on the part of my brain that controls my motor function (which is why I am losing control of the left side of my body, including my eyesight). They are still trying to figure out where the cancer is coming from, but the biopsy today will help understand what we’re dealing with and I will be having a pet scan and mammogram when I get discharged. I will start 3 weeks of radiation as soon as I leave the hospital to hopefully shrink the tumors on my brain, and I should have my biopsy results around Tuesday. We’ll then sit down and discuss how we are going to attack the cancer. 

Because of covid, I haven’t been able to have anyone here with me, which has been really hard. Ryan has been staying with my kids and they’ve all been helping each other deal with all of this. I have had the most amazing team of doctors and nurses, and luckily my awesome nurse took me downstairs last night so I could sneak a 30 minute visit with the kids and Ryan, which was amazing. 

I’m obviously terrified, so please pray for the best possible outcome. I will update when I know more ♥️